Arresting Dominance

by Cassidy Browning

  “Here, let me introduce you.” Brad led the way over to the group. “They’ve been assigned to you anyway since you aren’t familiar with the area.” As they got close he called to the older man. “Dave, do you have a second?”

  The man nodded as he put a hood on the other puppy. This hood was also that of a beagle but had a brindle coloring. “Stay, pups.”

  As he approached them, Jeremy concentrated on not looking like this was the strangest scene he’d ever experienced and wondering what the protocol was for complimenting Dave on his “dogs.” They certainly looked realistic, in a strange way. Their bodies were held in alert readiness, eyes following the older man’s every movement. It reminded Jeremy exactly of what he had seen as a kid when he would hunt with his dad and their old hound.

  The man nodded to Jeremy, as if reading his thoughts and accepting the tribute. “We’re almost ready, Brad. I just have to finish getting Tony’s gloves on.”

  “No problem,” Brad said casually, as if this kind of thing happened every day. It just might here, Jeremy decided. “I wanted to introduce you to Jeremy here. He and his hunting partner will be teamed with you and your boys since they’re from out of state and don’t know the area like the other contestants.”

  Jeremy extended his right hand to shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jeremy. My partner Liam is still feeding his face inside.”

  “Good to meet you, son. Everyone calls me Daddy Dave and my boys there are Chuck and Tony. The other two younger pups, just past them, are calling themselves spot and spike for now.”

  Dave pointed to two other men who appeared to be in their early twenties. They wore knee pads and gloves, too, but had on black shorts instead of the tails and hoods. They looked more like puppies than hunting dogs, since they were growling and playing tug of war with a rope between their teeth. “Are they going out with us, too?”

  “No, they’ll stay here at the big house during the hunts,” Dave told him. “They’re new to the local K9 group and don’t have trainers yet but wanted to learn what this was about. As I am sure happens in your area, we try to mentor the new members and give them the chance to experience the lifestyle in safe ways. That’s why I brought them along today. Once they get trainers they should settle down—at least I hope so.” He chuckled as they watched the puppies roughhousing.

  “Can I have everyone’s attention please?” Karl called loudly from his place by the large photographic target Jeremy and Liam had helped secure the evening before.

  Brad motioned to where people were beginning to gather around Karl. “Looks like it’s time. Let’s go hear the briefing.” They walked over, joining Liam on the way.

  “Thank you all for joining us for the inaugural spring fox-hunt extravaganza here at Clifftop Fantasies. This week we have all sorts of events planned for your enjoyment. In addition to today’s hunt, we will be having a Crafty Dom contest, an outdoor suspension demo, a submissive drumming circle, and several play parties. To kick things off, I’d like to go over the rules right quick, just so that we’re all on the same page.” He smiled at the expressions of interest and excitement from the crowd before holding up a hand again. “First, we would like to thank our lovely volunteers who have agreed to be hunted today. We are lucky enough to have four foxes and one bunny for today’s fun.” Karl smiled at five women huddled together by the target. Jeremy nearly whistled in surprise. Like the female horse, several of them wore tiny bikinis, although most of them didn’t look nearly as comfortable in them as she had. After a moment, though, he caught sight of the waitress, Ginny, and his attention was riveted. She looked absolutely adorable in her red bikini and fox ears. He could see the hint of a tail dangling behind her, too, and found himself wondering if it was tied on or attached to a butt plug. Interesting possibilities.

  “A bunny?” Liam whispered to Brad, who nodded seriously.

  “Yes. She’s Master Wulf’s slave. They’ve been active in our local community for something like twenty years and even though they’re getting up there in years they like to stay as involved as they can. They’ll keep their hunt close to the house here.”

  Karl continued. “To be fair as to who will hunt whom and in what order, one shooter from each team will take a shot with these paintball guns. The one who comes closest to the marked center of any of the targets will get to choose their fox and go out first. The next closest will go second and so on. The picture will stay up for a while if people want to do some target practice later. We would like to thank Charlie for the target. For those of you who don’t know Charlie, he’s an amazing photographer. I can personally vouch for his professional skill, as can anyone who has seen the book he did with my girl, Allie cat, a while back. Be warned, however, that if you talk to him he will no doubt try to convince you to model.”

  Jeremy wrenched his attention away from Ginny, who seemed to be trying to hide behind the elderly bunny. She was so cute. The other girls were pretty, too, but he had absolutely no interest in hunting anybody but her. From the moment he’d seen her in the diner in that sexy little waitress uniform he’d had the feeling he needed to get to know her better. Looking again at the large glossy board, he could see that a center mass target ring had been added to each of the girls in the photograph. Punching Liam in the arm, Jeremy let out a happy whoop. “Oh, baby, we have this in the bag.”

  Liam shushed him and pointed to Karl, who had gone on. “Once we have the order, each team will have half an hour to negotiate the winning scenes with their fox. There’s a three-hour time limit. For the hunters to win they need to corner their fox in such a way that they could not escape. If the fox evades capture until the time has expired without leaving their assigned area, they win. Each area is approximately forty acres in size and they have a variety of terrains, so it should be a lot of fun.”

  Liam leaned over and whispered, “As if I really need to ask, which of the four do we want to hunt if we get the choice?”

  Jeremy pointed with his chin to where Ginny seemed to be trying to cover herself with her arms. It was so cute how she would move them around, covering first one area then realizing that another part was exposed. He thought he’d seen her glance in their direction once or twice, but he hadn’t managed to get her attention yet. Without taking his eyes from her, he answered. “The hot little blonde from the diner the other day.”

  Liam snorted. “Okay, but the tall one or the short one, smart ass? They’re both blonde.”

  “The short one, obviously.”

  “Right, obviously.”

  Karl walked over to a table near the target that held a paintball gun and assorted equipment. “If I can get one shooter from each team, we’ll get this show on the road.”

  “I got this, bro.” Jeremy raced over to where the hunters were assembling. He intentionally took the last position in line so he would be the final shooter. The others arranged themselves in front of him.

  “Okay, Dennis,” Karl said. “Looks like you’re first.”

  A man in a flannel shirt, worn blue jeans, and scuffed work boots stepped up to the table and picked up the paintball gun. With an air of familiarity he checked the CO2 cartridge, loaded a handful of small multi-colored paintballs into the hopper, and charged the chamber with the first round. The crowd fell silent when he stepped up to the firing line and took aim. There was a splat as the paintball hit the canvas.

  “Not bad.” Karl measured the distance from the center of the target ring on the middle girl to where the round had struck the photo. “Looks to be about two and a half inches. Phoenix, you’re up. Let’s see if you can beat Dennis’s shot.”

  The next man took the weapon and got into position, clicking off the safety. Taking a deep breath, he quickly snapped off his shot. It was immediately obvious that it was not as close to the center of the same ring as Dennis’s had been. He re-engaged the safety and put the gun down.

  “Three and a quarter inches. Phoenix, you’re in second place at the moment,” Karl announced. “Brody, you’re u
p next. Please take your spot.”

  A younger man, probably twenty-three or -four, walked hesitantly up to the table. He was tallish but seemed to be thin under his baggy hoodie and ancient jeans, and he had a hunched-over, careless slouch as if he didn’t care about anyone or anything. His long, poorly-dyed black hair hung partly over his face and he sported a lip ring and chipped black fingernail polish. His hands shook a bit as he picked up the gun, obviously uncomfortable with it, even if it was mostly harmless. Jeremy suppressed a derisive snort. The kid probably thought he was some kind of sharpshooter because he played video games nonstop.

  Walking slowly up to the firing line, Brody sent a quick, apprehensive look back at the crowd and raised the gun. He pointed it vaguely in the direction of the target and closed his eyes while pulling the trigger. Nothing happened. They all watched as he opened his eyes, squinted at the gun and pulled the trigger again, still with no result.

  Karl cleared his throat to get Brody’s attention. “Maybe it would help if you took the safety off.”

  Brody’s face flushed a bright red as he fumbled with the lever on the side of the gun. Then he raised it and fired again. This time there was a pthhh of compressed gas as the paintball was launched toward the target. Unfortunately for Brody there was no accompanying splat, as the paintball sailed harmlessly past the target and off into the yard beyond.

  “Thank you, Brody,” Karl said once the good-natured chuckling had died down. “I think it’s safe to say that you’re currently in last place. Please put the safety back on and return to your place in line.”

  Jeremy shook his head in disgust at anyone being that inept with a firearm. But it didn’t seem to bother Brody. The boy grinned as he put the gun on the table and walked back to stand next to Jeremy. “No worries. I’m a lover, not a fighter.” The crowd erupted in laughter and Brody gave Jeremy a quick grin before ducking his head so that the hair covered his face again.

  “You know, kid, you’re all right after all.” Jeremy clapped Brody on the shoulder as he went past him on the way to the table. The kid had handled an embarrassing situation surprisingly well. Jeremy had to respect that.

  “You’re up,” Karl said, nodding at him. “Let’s see what you can do.”

  Jeremy grinned and swept the gun off the table before striding confidently to the line marked on the ground. He flipped off the safety and took aim, but just as he was about to pull the trigger, Liam’s voice cut through his concentration. “Don’t embarrass us, dude. Miss this shot and the other guys on the SWAT team will never let you live it down. I promise.”

  Jeremy didn’t allow himself to so much as flinch. He simply paused, called back, “Thanks, asshole,” and snapped off his shot. The crowd broke into cheers as his paintball landed squarely in the center of the smallest of the target rings.

  Karl whistled. “Well, that makes it easy. Jeremy, you and Liam get first pick of the foxes. You will be followed by Dennis, Phoenix, and finally Brody. Now, go pick your lucky lady.”

  Jeremy replaced the gun on the table, trying not to smirk, and turned to find that Liam had joined him. “So I guess I get to stay on the team then, asshole?” he asked as they walked together toward the foxes, who were waiting with wide eyes for the hunters. The tall blonde from the diner—Carly, he thought, not that it mattered—stood next to his pick, Ginny. Closer up, he could see how well the reddish-brown bikini complemented Ginny’s skin tone. It was so hard not to reach out a hand and stroke the small fox ears that were sticking out of her hair, not to mention the adorable fox tail dangling from a belt around her hips.

  Next to them was a woman he thought someone had called Jodi, who was completely hidden by the full fox costume she was wearing. Jeremy had seen furries on TV, but this was the first one he’d met in person. The outfit had a large white fox head that made him wonder how she could see anything. It looked like a full-body fur coat complete with bushy tail and furry feet and he suspected it was hotter than hell to try and run around the woods in. At least she’d be easy to find, he thought.

  Finally, there was a little Goth chick named Steph. She was cute, but Jeremy had no intention of picking her. Ginny was the one he wanted and nobody else had any temptation for him. He had to admire Steph’s bravery, though, looking at her outfit—or lack of it. She was wearing a set of fox ears like Carly and Ginny but also had body paint that looked like fur. It started on her face and continued down the front of her completely naked body, covering every inch of exposed skin. It looked amazing, partly because of the great job someone had done but also because she had a perfect figure. She had a butt plug tail, gloves on each hand that looked like paws, and a set of shoes cleverly done up to look like the rear feet of a fox.

  Jeremy glanced at Liam and then strode up to Ginny, who was staring at him with what might have been terror. He gave her what he hoped was a nonthreatening smile. “Hello. I’m Jeremy and this is my partner Liam. We’ll be your hunters today.”

  Chapter 3

  “So.” Jeremy was looking at her as if she was a thick, juicy steak, cooked just the way he liked.

  Ginny felt her stomach fill with butterflies. She glanced at Liam. He wasn’t quite as obvious as Jeremy, but there was a definite glint in his eyes, too, that made her want to put on a parka and hide behind that silly target picture.

  But there was no point in that. This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? It was just a hookup, a way of getting back on the horse, or the bicycle, or whatever that damn expression was. But they were so intimidating. They were obviously dangerous, and not just because they were both gorgeous. Under their cheerful grins and boyish playfulness there was an unmistakable sense of authority, command, and iron control. Even if she hadn’t known they were cops, she would have guessed it. Just being around them made her feel safe and protected. Except, maybe, when they looked at her like they were now. As if she were the prey and they were predators.

  Of course, she was the prey. At the moment she couldn’t believe she’d let Carly talk her into getting into this whole fox-hunt thing. It wasn’t the kind of thing she’d ever done before, or even heard of. But Carly had made a good point. She needed to move beyond Cindy and Rick. She’d spent far too long mourning the loss of their friendship and wondering what she’d done wrong. Logically she knew it wasn’t her fault. There was no way to predict how people were going to cope with opening up their marriage. But she couldn’t shake the thought that there might have been something she could have said or done that would have gotten Cindy through the difficult part.

  “What kind of scene are we going to do after we win?” Jeremy licked his lips.

  Liam snorted and Ginny drew herself up as much as possible, putting on an air of bravado that had no basis in reality. “After I win, you mean?”

  “Sure, we can start there.” Jeremy chuckled. “It’ll get that part out of the way and then we can get realistic.”

  At her outraged expression, Liam leaned forward and put a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “Good job, dude. Let’s start by pissing off the girl we’re trying to negotiate with. Nice strategy.”

  “Don’t patronize me.” She folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Liam, although she wasn’t completely sure why. He was apparently trying to be nice. “I could easily win.”

  “Of course. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be patronizing.” Liam gave her a calm, if slightly mischievous, smile. “I have no doubt you’ll win. What do you want for your prize?”

  “Oh.” She was stumped. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “Good, then let’s start with the fun stuff while you decide.” Jeremy rubbed his hands together. “What I had in mind was—”

  “Not so fast.” Liam put out a hand to stop him. “Shouldn’t we find out what Ginny is willing to do before we start getting out the toys?”

  Jeremy grinned. “My bad. Ginny, what kind of a scene should we have?”

  She considered. Even though she’d decided she was interested in them—for one night, an
yway—she found that she couldn’t think of anything to suggest that wouldn’t sound slutty. She couldn’t just sit down with two gorgeous guys and start listing things she wanted them to do to her.

  “Go ahead and tell me what you were thinking,” she said finally. “I’ll let you know if it’s on the table or not.”

  “Fair enough.” Liam nodded for Jeremy to begin. “Let’s hear your ideas.”

  “I was thinking we could start with some sensual play. You know, cutting off your clothes one piece at a time. Then we could do some light scratching or knife play, or maybe ice cubes. You can do a lot of really interesting stuff with ice cubes. Then we finish up with some whipped cream—”

  Ginny’s whole body went white-hot while he was talking. Her insides began to twitch and tighten in very unnerving ways and her skin tingled, as if he were actually doing things to her rather than simply describing them.

  “Whoa.” Liam was watching her closely. “Is this too much, Ginny?”

  “Um…” She couldn’t say “No. Let’s go find a bed and do it right now,” much as she was tempted to. She squirmed a little in her chair at the patio table they had taken over to conduct their negotiations and sipped her coffee to hide her agitation. “I—”

  “I thought so.” Liam scowled at Jeremy, who spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “Let’s back up a little. Ginny, are you even willing to do a scene with us?”

  “Yes.” She crossed her legs, fighting for control and wishing she’d had a full-body fox suit like Jodi. It would not be good to let them see how much they were affecting her. Jeremy was cocky enough already. He didn’t need any encouragement.

  “Okay, then. Let’s take it a little slower. Are you willing to be naked? I’m not talking about sex,” he added hastily. “But usually play is easier without clothes. What kind of play do you like?”